First Few Days in Berlin

Sorry that this blog post has taken me a long time to write/post. I don’t have wireless internet in my apartment, so I don’t spend a lot of time on the internet. I’m working on getting internet in my apartment but I don’t know if that will actually happen anytime soon. But the campus at school has wireless so I can use that until then.
I arrived in Berlin on January 7 and was pleasantly surprised to see that everything was covered in snow!! Everyone said that Berlin was cold and dreary and I just didn’t picture it being snowy or ever actually snowing. It flurried a little bit the morning I arrived on top of the snow that was already here. So, even though it is cold, I think the snow makes it a little more bearable. I’ve seen kids sledding and that’s always fun.
Honestly, being here has been a lot harder than I expected. Even though a lot of people speak English, all the signs and menus are in German and people speak really fast German to you until you ask them if they speak English. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. Mostly, though, people are helpful and do speak at least some English. At first the public transportation was really overwhelming. There are buses, the U-Bahn, and the S-Bahn. The U-Bahn and the S-Bahn are both trains; the U-Bahn is underground (but sometimes it runs above ground) and the S-Bahn is above ground (but sometimes it runs underground). But, I am learning and it’s really not so hard. One concept that is essential is that to get somewhere sometimes you have to take the bus to the correct S-Bahn station or switch trains or take the S-Bahn to the U-Bahn and then the bus. But, the S-Bahn and U-Bahn no longer scare me because they gave us a map that is really helpful. I like the S- and U-Bahns far more than the buses because they are a new experience for me and it’s fun hopping on and off. And I don’t really have an equivalent bus map so I don’t always know what bus would take me where. Plus, they often don’t run the whole route, so you have to make sure your stop is before the last stop they’re going to. The number and last stop of both the buses and the U- and S-Bahns are on the front, so that’s helpful.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were orientation days and pretty full of walking and riding around the city. On Friday we walked around all the Freie Universitat (Free University) buildings and then toured a bunker, that came out at an U-Bahn station (that was weird!) In case you were wondering, It’s called the Free University because back when the wall was still here, the only university was controlled by the communists and some of the students wanted academic freedom, so they started this university with no books and sometimes held classes in candlelight! That’s a pretty hardcore legacy. On Saturday morning, our director, Dirk, lead us on a walking tour or the historical part of the city. We saw the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, some bricks marking where they wall had been, the new government buildings, and many other important buildings. I took lots of pictures, but I’m afraid they all look pretty dreary because the ground and the sky are both white-grey.
Classes start tomorrow (Monday, which might be today, depending on when I post this). I’ll have German language class from 9 – 12 Monday through Thursday (yikes!) and then two classes after that on Wednesdays, ending at 7. Four of our Fridays will be field trips to various places. And we’re taking a trip to Paris and Amsterdam in March. So, lots of things on the schedule, which is good!
This blog post would not be complete without mention of how good God is. He has been so faithful even so far, as he has comforted me and sheltered me in the cover of his wings (Psalm 91) when I am tossing and turning at night and wishing I was back home. I look forward to how he is going to challenge me, grow me, and draw me to greater dependence on him this semester. And my prayer is that in him I would really be able to enjoy him and my time here, no matter what happens.